How an Edinburgh black cab driver chose myPOS

With a population of nearly half a million people, Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a hilly yet compact town with a rich history. Each year, it attracts scores of global tourists who are drawn to the mediaeval Old Town, the Georgian New Town with gardens and neoclassical buildings as well as the famous Edinburgh Castle.

If you’re planning to travel to Edinburgh, one of the not-to-be-missed experiences is getting into a black cab to take you from spot to spot as you explore the history and romance of this city. In fact, you may even end up in the car of Joe Robbins, a black cab owner-driver who has been doing this job for nearly 25 years and who can certainly help you find all the hidden gems in the capital. We’re also sure that he has plenty of interesting stories to share with you!

So, who is Joe Robbins?

Robbins is a black cab owner-driver in Edinburgh who is self-employed, much like all taxi drivers in the city. “You either drive your own vehicle like me or you drive someone else’s and pay a weekly rental,” he said. In the latter case, you’re known as a “jockey”. However, if you’re an owner, you can choose to have a radio or app with one of the three black cab radio companies in Edinburgh. Robbins, however, has impressively always managed without a radio. A testament to his unique acumen and knowledge of the city.

With this in mind, what are operators like him known as? In Edinburgh, these are called “street-cars” as they rely on picking people up off the streets. They are independent and can go wherever they like and are not “ordered around” by the radio controller. Interestingly enough, around 20% of black cabs are street-cars.

Robbins drives an iconic London black cab, which is very popular with tourists. However, he said that after the first Covid-19 lockdown, he realised that most people would want to pay their taxi fares by card rather than cash, so he decided to buy a myPOS Go card reader as recommended to him by a fellow taxi-driver.

“I have been very happy with the myPOS Go as it’s easy to use. My passengers now don’t need to stop en-route if they are not carrying cash so this is a very convenient method of payment. Around 60-70% of passengers now pay me by card.” – Joe Robbins

In fact, the myPOS Go is not only a light, compact and versatile POS device, it’s also highly affordable and gives merchants the chance to enjoy instant settlement of funds, which they can access through their free merchant account and free Visa business card. A popular choice among many taxi drivers across the UK, the card reader machine eliminates the need for cash, as a more outdated and less hygienic method of making payments. Passengers can now rely on the myPOS Go for a perfect trip through and around to explore the city’s hidden wonders.

Take card payments with myPOS Go

– £0.00 monthly costs
– Instant settlement of funds
– 1 year free warranty

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